Years ago, I read an eye-opening book called, The Submerged State. Its premise was that one of the chief reasons we don’t value the role of government is because its work and effects are too often invisible to us. The prime example was the oft cited quote “Keep your government hands off my Medicare,” – a reflection of an angry citizen not realizing that Medicare was in fact a government program.
I’m currently reading a book that serves as an antidote to this blindness, aptly titled, “Who is Government?” It is a collection of essays written by some of our country’s finest authors – including Michael Lewis, Casey Cep and Dave Eggers. Each profiles a person within our government whose work has made the lives of countless people better without them ever knowing it.
It includes Christopher Mark, who has revolutionized safety within coal mines. His innovations have dramatically reduced accidents and deaths. There is also the story of Jarod Koopman, who works at the IRS. While many consider everyone working at this agency as the bogeyman, he is more of a superman. Using forensic accounting to break up fentanyl drug rings, stop the flow of money to terrorist organizations and bring child predators to justice. Not only has he saved lives, but he has also recovered billions of dollars. The book consists of only eight stories, but you can begin to see how it could be eight thousand. Public Servants every day anonymously work to make our country healthier, safer, better educated, and prosperous among many other benefits.
With that being said, having worked with government agencies, I also appreciate that there are inefficiencies and bureaucratic hurdles that rather than expedite progress, delay it. The argument is made pretty powerfully in this new book by Derek Thompson and Ezra Klein. The same holds true in other sectors, such as academia, the social sector and yes – the private sector. We only need to recall our last experience with any customer service representative to serve as evidence.
The larger point remains. In all sectors there are people doing work that we are blind to. Work that brings us goods and services – both from the public and private sector. We take for granted the work that makes our lives possible. We eat food without considering the farmers who grew it, enjoy parks without second thought of the landscape architects and gardeners who make them beautiful, and pass by numbers of buildings and structures without second thought to the many hands who laid the bricks. Almost everything we see, use or consume was imagined, designed, created or built by countless others.
It has been said, “We value what we see.” It suggests our awareness is a prerequisite to our values.
What work do you see? How do you share the value of your work with others? How do you choose to recognize the labor of those who make your world better?
This Week’s Recommendation. Find something you value or appreciate. Now think deeply about all those whose labor made it possible.
Consider sharing this with someone whose work you appreciate.